Huot Automatic Rifle: The Ross Goes Full Auto

/ forgottenweapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/c...
During World War One, Joseph Alphonse Huot, a Canadian machinist and blacksmith living in Quebec, designed a conversion of the Ross MkIII rifle to become an automatic rifle. The Ross was the standard issue Canadian rifle at the beginning of the war, and Huopt wanted to find a way to economically provide Canadian forces with an automatic weapon. His conversion functioned by mounting a gas piston onto the side of the Ross barrel, adding a large action cover and 25-round drum magazine, and a Lewis-style cooling shroud over the barrel.
In initial testing with Canadian forces, the Huot performed well. It was seriously considered for adoption, but had to undergo British testing and approval before that could happen. In British testing (by now near the end of the war), it was found to run well enough and have some positive attributes, but not sufficient to justify replacement of the Lewis Gun. It was rejected, and Canadian forces finished the war with the Lewis instead. Huot had spent several years privately developing the weapon and two more working on salary for the Canadian military, and had gone into considerable personal debt for the project. He had secured a deal to receive royalties on production, but that of course came to naught when the design was rejected. Ultimately, he was compensated $25,000 in 1936 (of the $36,000 he claimed to have spent).
Only five of the guns were made in total, with four known to still exist. Two of them are in Ottawa at the Canadian War Museum and one in the Seaforth Highlanders Museum in Vancouver and one in the Army Museum in Halifax.
Thanks to the Canadian War Museum for providing me access to film this Huot for you!
www.warmuseum.ca
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85704

[@alexreams1060]

"And they pretty much just like...did this in a shed." A time honored gunsmithing tradition.

[@scottland8698]

Alex Reams it is a little known fact that inside of John brownings factory, was a shed where he made his finest designs

[@matteagle8206]

And car building haha

[@thenutbucket5971]

Accuracy International is another company who got their start as two guys in a shed.

[@sand0decker]

And aviation

[@aussiebloke609]

Reminds me of the origins of the Owen gun. Just someone tinkering around in the shed.

[@Beefyrulz]

Joseph: "Ey, so I took a Ross and done an automatic jiggy on it." Canadian Government: "Huot?"

[@joestrummer4106]

Too bad the magazine was too damn ratchet

[@NibiruWanderer12]

This is the comment I was looking for. I can rest now.

[@RylzMunkister]

Lolol

[@adamhuot5719]

To bad its probably pronounced like hewwit

[@madgictoad39]

just so you know, Huot is a comon french canadian's last name

[@odinvik7821]

You know it's rare when Ian breaks out the white gloves

[@Taolan8472]

Thats not explicitly true the white gloves are typically broken out at the request of the owners.

[@odinvik7821]

@@Taolan8472 yeah, because it is rare, and expensive

[@ddproductionscanada]

Typically museums want you to wear gloves when handling their rare guns

[@Taolan8472]

@@odinvik7821 Yes but my point is there are plenty of videos where Ian is handling firearms just as rare and valuable as one of the Huot prototypes without gloves.

[@ZRFehr]

Museums often demand use of gloves when handling all their displays. Firearms have been all been through a lot worse than some fingers on them, but there are some exhibits that oils from one’s skin could damage very quickly. It’s just the result of a broadly applied policy because it’s best to err on the side of caution.

[@aussieblackhawk123]

Ross rifle : " Who are you?" Huot : " I'm you but faster "

[@fredd9340]

Huot: And much more reliable than you

[@Plutario9715]

"This sniper rifle is bad." "That's an automatic machine gun" "What did you do?"

[@Hirosjimma]

Sir, I made a full auto conversion for the Ross rifle. "You what?!"

[@CKshouta]

Springfield's autoloading conversion is the only thing close to this.

[@h2489-m2l]

CKshouta no, there was a conversion of an SMLE to semi auto done in NZ

[@Torus2112]

@been m8 *RCMP open up

[@HimmelGanger]

@@h2489-m2l kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y37PoZulfblspKc

[@WozWozEre]

You huot m8?

[@AltGrendel]

I expect this to show up in the Mandlorian as a energy weapon.

[@hunterrichie2764]

Full auto jawa cannon

[@PedroThePanda64]

Let's hope they don't actually defile a real Huot for that

[@Taolan8472]

They can chew up a prop kit for a ross rifle to do this. I really hope they didnt damage an actual bergman no 1 or an actual martini henri jezail to do his pistol and rifle.

[@bluespy4050]

I think they actually just get props and then butcher them to turn them into blasters. A huot auto blaster would be cool, I think

[@nebokenja]

Even if the studio starts with props, I always fear the fallout will give us the same thing that happened with the original trilogy, fans buying up hard-ish to find firearms and destroying them to make their own props.

[@baronofhell2277]

"Huot do you say" ~ Hank Hill

[@SinaelDOverom]

"Say Huot?"

[@junichiroyamashita]

"That's a clean burning Hell i tell you Huot"

[@TroyPosey]

"DAMNIT BOBBY!!! I told you stop playin' those damn vidya games..." "I don't always tell you... But when I do... I tell you hwat."

[@Kawawaymog]

"Dit quoi?" Claude Coteau

[@cloudy_gomo]

Oh my god I needed that lmao

[@ramone8165]

For anyone curious: The game "Hunt Showdown" has this exact conversion, but built in as a Mosin-Nagant. It's called "Mosin-Nagant M1891 Avtomat"

[@the_bezurcher]

That is my exact thought the avto

[@GhostyNP]

frickin' avtos

[@kingkiller_1001]

I should've read past comments before I commented the same thing....10 days after you... Lol

[@choccymilke9946]

Beat me to it fellow hunter

[@sirflaps7619]

battlefield 1 also has this gun

[@IrishAirsoftKing98]

-Builds machine gun in shed -sue the government because they don't pay you for it the 1910s were a simpler time

[@Artyomthewalrus]

@Ryan Yarnevich I mean, less than $800 isn't all that impressive. That's over $10,000 today, which is kinda pricey for a gun.

[@CES-dh4ut]

@@Artyomthewalrus Cause it's wrong, their price tag said 200$ in the 1920s. But that still was way too much.

[@greybayles7955]

With the Owen submachinegun a kid under 18 built a machine gun in his back yard and it ended up being formally adopted by the Australian Military for the largest scale conflict the world has ever seen

[@joelguzman9280]

@@Artyomthewalrus "pricey" lol good ar15s are lik 1200 rn. 10k is a helluva price for a gun rn.

[@TubeofDestiny]

@Ryan Yarnevich 1925, when the armed robbery and murder rates exploded in all major US cities (tripled and more), with the tommy guns involved in most of these new cases. There's a reason why regulations were put in place: making it harder to get automatic weapons, so that only the top of the organized crime could afford smuggling them, instead of making it available to any wanabee criminals. Of course civilians living in a peaceful era with much less crime will call it "bullshit", because they think peace and low crime is a given, but anyone who worked or studied the bigger picture knows the value of regulations.

[@Rinasoir]

I know some people thought you'd never get your hands on a G11, I never thought you would get your hands on this. I'm so glad you have.

[@TheAmazingCowpig]

Speaking of, it's crazy that the G11 video was a year ago already.

[@scottland8698]

Still waiting for him to just pull the only hellregal ever made out of his closet like “oh yeah I have this thing”

[@dogsnads5634]

@@scottland8698 It's all about whether he can get his hands on a Taden Gun now...

[@Immopimmo]

Maybe he'll find the actual gun that Hitler shot himself with next. :)

[@nathanaelraynard2641]

@@scottland8698 i mean helriegel is accounted to two pictures of it and that's all. As far as i know the helriegel don't exist today anymore

[@partytor11]

Ah, another relic from the Dark Age of Technology, unearthed by the tech-priests of the machine cult.

[@cinimatics]

Lol

[@ollanius_papyrus80]

It looks so similar to a galvanic rifle.

[@tHeInEvItAbLePaRtY]

From the strange barbarians from the North

[@fabiolus0832]

Indeed. Quickly take it to Mars, we must study it for the glory of the Omnissiah!!

[@bluecaptainIT]

@@fabiolus0832 you're not allowed to bang it, just make it bang.

[@worldtraveler930]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say politics is probably the only way to reject a $50 gun for a $1000 + gun.

[@Artyomthewalrus]

Especially seeing as most of the issues would have been relatively easily remedied before full scale production

[@kingsarues1586]

The British during the Great War were a fical bunch. They “lost or misplaced” a lot of their dominions inventions due to it not being a British design. British Hubris didn’t help then Huot.

[@Christian-ib1gd]

Lets just call it nepotism

[@SingularNinjular]

@@kingsarues1586 Yeah, that's it. It couldn't possibly be that they already had the Lewis - which, I remind you, was NOT a British design.

[@alicetries5954]

The british should have lost both great wars but they got lucky by being saved by their colonial betters.

[@BaronVonHardcharger]

Sounds like this gun had all the things a soldier would want in it... simplicity, easy to clear jams, modern style drum mag with stripper loading. On paper it prolly wasn't as good as a Lewis gun, but it seems like the price reduction would have made a difference to Canada vs. England. Reminds me of the modern M1A.

[@robertsmith4681]

There might have been a bit of anti French Canadian bias mixed in though.

[@CountSpartula]

Reminder that a Ross rifle is the base of this thing. The jam happy, lug deforming, action binding highly sensitive Ross rifle that couldn't handle out of spec ammo until the Mk3 triple star i think.

[@h2489-m2l]

Count Spartula is the Ross really that bad?

[@retrogunroom]

@@h2489-m2l the Ross is magnificent, when clean and using properly specced ammo. It's essentially a target rifle.

[@andrewholdaway813]

Good gun, just too late.

[@numbnutz9398]

Where do you shovel the coal in? Swear to god this thing looks steam powered.

[@topbreak38]

The coal input is clearly located in the shoulder thing that goes up.

[@scottland8698]

topbreak38 ah yes, right by the magazine that holds 100 clips

[@VexChoccyMilk]

In a good way.

[@1r0zz]

Diesel punk, it uses gas!

[@draconianwarking]

Real steampowered gun for comparison en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holman_Projector

[@sned_music]

Battlefield 1 players: salivating for the finds of Gun Jesus

[@timobela01]

SNEDmusic yes

[@PrimyFritzellz]

My favorite weapon in the game.

[@javier3185]

I’m sorry to say, but I’m doing much more than salivating.

[@giterdone246]

Been Waiting 3 years for this video

[@RuskiFuze01]

Marc Michaud sarcasm or true?

[@InfernosReaper]

Basically, everything that was officially considered wrong with this gun could have been easy to reworked. Given all the problems with its competition, reworking this gun might have been a better choice. Cheek shroud? Reshape it a bit. Magazine production? Build molds for most parts instead of machining all of them. Probably could even thin some of the material out to cut down on weight and metal costs. The fact they could get away with far less robust materials to get the job done is a big plus here Grip? Make a pistol grip attachment that can be screw onto the wood frame. Needs a bipod or tripod? Make a way to connect an existing version of one to it. The fact that those few guns endured testing that was more rigorous than the action they would've actually seen in the war and were far more reliable is a testament to the potential of the gun. The fact that it could be done to obsolete guns on the cheap was a nice plus. I suspect what really held the gun back wasn't its design issues, but politics. Someone already made a deal to get their gun accepted, so any competition would have to be basically perfect

[@InfernosReaper]

@@davydatwood3158 "nom nom brains" But seriously, it kinda reminds me about the philanthropist Louis Rossmann. He did a video talking about how things don't need to be perfect, but can just work instead and how the pursuit of perfection can lead to decisions that end up costing you a lot without being worth it. Years later, he blew hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to make his shop be "perfect" At the same time, it reminds me of Forged in Fire, where people will rush to make something that's "good enough" and have it fail because they didn't spend the time needed at the beginning to do enough proper preparation. Somewhere in between the 2 is what actually works. I'm not entirely sure the gun they ultimately used was really in that "good enough" category to be honest.

[@praisetouma5278]

@InfernosReaper nice pfp mate

[@InfernosReaper]

​@@praisetouma5278 back at ya, fellow person of culture and E-rated hands.

[@vhuyjgvyj]

@@InfernosReaper Just curious about the Louis thing, what happened to him? Last time I checked he was doing pretty well and was planning on moving, the only problems I remember are him dealing with scummy contractors.

[@InfernosReaper]

@@vhuyjgvyj Professionally, he'd gotten his office area as close to perfect as possible at great cost and then covid happened, which was the worst time to have depleted your savings. Otherwise, the business is hanging in there Personally, he's doing a trial move to another state so he doesn't have to live in New York City, which seems to be working wonders for his mood.

[@SuperDiablo101]

The magazine looks like the old Pencil sharpeners i used back in middle school

[@londonjolly9174]

"But you can't really shoulder it..." I DON'T CARE "Even a BAR is better than-" I DON'T CARE "Why do you even-" BECAUSE IT'S STRAAAAAAAAANGE!

[@matthewsandifer2673]

BAR is fun to shoot.

[@londonjolly9174]

@@matthewsandifer2673 Any MG is

[@TheTiberianWolf]

I want it cause im a Canadian Nationalist, oof

[@HaloFTW55]

This is somewhat better than BAR to be honest. Now imagine if every 10th Canadian has one during WWI, you’d have a hailstorm of fire while storming trenches.

[@xXRaocnumDudeXx]

And cost-effective

[@revolverDOOMGUY]

When you have a Ross rifle but you really wanted a Lewis gun, so you go to you shed and put stuff together like a space ork and it actually works great.

[@socksleeve]

revolverDOOMGUY needs more dakka

[@frealms]

@Angel of Mercy. I can't sir. The weapon had been lost, all I could find was this note that reads "I O U Rifle - Blood Ravens"

[@thespanishinquisition4078]

@@frealms bloody magpies.

[@atvdanny2684]

As a Canadian, I've been waiting a long time for this

[@robertsmith4681]

Yeap, the unicorn of Canadian milsurps lol

[@rjoconnor9275]

Same here, so happy Canada gets some love here and there

[@musek5048]

As an american that owns a ross mk3 i gotta say you guys sure built a nice accurate rifle.

[@KenworthW900HG]

As a Brit I have been waiting for the same amount of time, just 3600 miles to the right.

[@dra6o0n]

I guess if a war broke out in the future, Canadian pride might have some resurgence (mostly on the French side I think) and lead to some interesting development in military training and arms development. You know that Russia has bases in the Arctic to the north of Canada right? Meaning any conflict that breaks out will involve fighting in the cold, and Canada's territory is really hard to defend as it's a large landmass and unpopulated in the wilderness. Meaning expect some 'annexations' occuring to the north.

[@joshwilson1170]

"We turned a straight-pull into a machine gun!" "Hu WOT!?"

[@brysonkuervers2570]

Underrated comment

[@derekheuring2984]

I was very lucky, serving in the Canadian Forces on the West Coast of Canada to see and actually handle the Huot MG kept in the Seaforth Highlanders armoury. We weren't allowed to fire it, nor would we have wanted to lest something broke but simply holding it was a thrill.

[@Leo___________]

So many amazing things have been made in a shed somewhere

[@stephengalindo6340]

Not the Austen

[@Leo___________]

@@DawgBreff that was more of a basement thing. Mancave gone wrong

[@Leo___________]

@@SonsOfLorgar Erebus did nothing wrong

[@moatddtutorials]

or in a cave with a box of scraps

[@ProSimex84]

the number of times ive driven past that museum and thought "I really need to check that place out" and never have, now gun Jesus is there. Great video Ian, thanks for showcasing Canadian military history

[@johnwhelan1446]

You absolutely need to check the museum out. It's one of the few canadian museums that are actually well taken care of.

[@Alexthehuge]

It's a really good museum, I live about 10 mins away and still go every so often.

[@mikehound8315]

It’s a great museum! I’ve been many times.

[@paranoidrodent]

The vehicle collection is quite nice. Lots of old British and US designs but also some German armor (I seem to recall a Panther and a Jagdpanzer IV and there must be a Leopard I in there by now). The Air and Space museum out in the east end has most of the air force stuff.

[@doreyj1]

Dude its an amazing place

[@bilboswaggings]

hunt showdown wiki: Note: While the game calls this a Mosin Nagant Avtomat, it is in fact a Huot automatic rifle - a WW1 era modification of the Canadian Ross rifle.

[@Jagrofes]

The Avto is heavily inspired by the Huot, but if you look closely they are a fair bit different. The drum is different, the rear part of the mechanism is less bulky, and the sights are inline with the barrel rather than offset as well as being different. I think it is a mashup of a mosin with a Huot, and then made to look “Cooler”.

[@ОлегКозлов-ю9т]

"Because it's a strait-pull, it was a pretty straightforward conversion" Pun intended?

[@theogeitondasamphilochos5630]

Remember that Lewis is basically full auto conversion of Schmidt-Rubin straight pull... In this perspective, both of Lewis and Huot aren't actually so different.

[@omartorres5688]

wait Really

[@ethanblevins1116]

I looked that thing up and I’m thinking vetterli vitali myself But I believe you

[@onelonecelt9168]

I haven't heard that. I thought it was a derivative of the McClean automatic rifle. Do you have any links you can provide, you have intrigued me.

[@DLBBALL]

^ I watched the C&Rsenal video about it (though not completely) and I'm pretty sure I never once heard there was a connection between that and a Schmidt-Rubin rifle. If, and that's a big if, the Lewis gun is based off of a Schmidt-Rubin, then it shares way less DNA with it vs. the Ross and Huot's DNA. Open-bolt, gas-operated, fed from a magazine on top of the gun itself, being based off of an AMERICAN design... Yeah I don't see the connection. Unless somehow the automatic musket thing the Lewis Gun was based off of was related to it...?

[@fawxu]

i thought the notification said "Halo Automatic Rifle" and i nearly shat myself

[@AlmantasKli]

can't wait for that to be real in the future.

[@YarugumaSou]

*Wort wort wort*

[@animalxINSTINCT89]

@Ferocious Battle the Kel Tec RDB-C has some major MA5C vibes with that weird grip on it too. Plus with all that open real estate on the front end im sure someone could rig up an electronic ammo counter to perfect the look (good luck shooting it though)

[@musek5048]

@@YarugumaSou ahhhh demon is here!

[@BleedingUranium]

@Ferocious Battle Also in 7.62mm NATO.

[@Tariko]

I love when you and other people recommend other channels that have more content not available here. It shows how the first priority is showing us cool stuff and it shows your passion for it and I think that’s just awesome

[@julien7337]

It is. It's a nice reminder that not every content creator is trying their best to do better than others like a competition.

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

I also appreciate the fact he doesn't allow sponsors, nor does he ask you to like and subscribe every five minutes, or ask for money...

[@julien7337]

@@TheExplosiveGuy He gives the audience what they want in an entertaining and interesting way. It's highly appreciated

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

@@julien7337 you said it. He's one of my favorite KZbin creators, next to Marten and his marble machine X.

[@MrPolklop]

I see where they got the inspiration for the Avtomat in Hunt: Showdown.

[@jondoe6663]

I swear, I thought you meant the Fedorov Automat and got mad for a moment, but yeah, the Mosin Automat does look like a Huot.

[@KaiserDeclan]

It’s even more cursed than the real thing

[@bilboswaggings]

Note: While the game calls this a Mosin Nagant Avtomat, it is in fact a Huot automatic rifle - a WW1 era modification of the Canadian Ross rifle.

[@callumduckworth7490]

@@bilboswaggings the game uses a Mosin body and barrel with a receiver inspired by the huot It also has a smaller drum than the huot

[@jaylanmcmurtry5317]

This is personally one of the most mechanically aesthetically pleasing gun I have ever seen. It seems like a firearm fit for a steampunkish world, which I'm quite partial to

[@michaelparsonage5889]

I saw this and went "ooooooh whats this" love these very obscure weapons.

[@rotwang2000]

I remember that Gazette Des Armes would include a kind of "gun centerfold" photo and in one of my old copies was a photo of the Huot, without any extra mention, and I was convinced it was a French firearm due to the name and was never able to find anything about it, thanks Ian !!!

[@dTheHammerb]

So basically one of the best and easily one of the rarest firearms on the planet? This is absolutely amazing.

[@lukejolley8354]

Ian, this is the COOLEST bolt gun automatic conversion I’ve ever seen! The Ross rifle is legendary here in Canada. Weirdly, all Canadian school children know about the Ross rifle, I learned about it and I’ve seen kids ask about it at Fort Rod Hill in Victoria BC. Have you heard of Victoria? It’s literally one of the top 5 most beautiful cities in the world, you would love the Fort Rod Hill naval defence fortress (1888-1951) which is now a national park with full public bunker/battery access and all the guns/cannons and shells(!) intact.

[@discountdisco2273]

Avtomat Hunter: "Build this thing in a shed in the bayou I did." Mosin Marksman Hunter: "You did WHAT?"

[@davidbarron8615]

Only the real ones will know. Lol

[@dbzsuperfan711]

Fun fact, the huot wouldnt work on the mosin because of its bolt action. This system only functions on straight pull rifles

[@milagrosgutierrezmartin9506]

@@dbzsuperfan711 They even comment on it on the weapon lore, that it would be even harder to do on a bolt action rather than a straight pull, but the gunsmith was half genius half crazy

[@BlightfulProductions]

@@dbzsuperfan711 the infantry version of the mosin is straight pull if I remember right

[@HadToChangeMyName_YoutubeSucks]

11,000 rounds at 25 rounds per drum, 2,200 stripper clips to load 440 drum changes. Don't want to be that guy.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

Thomas Mobley Would you rather be the guy who clean the rifle afterwards?

[@HaqqAttak]

Joes suffered on that day.

[@chrisproost7290]

Personally I'd have been more than happy to be in the British testing team than the likely alternatives of the Western Front, German East Africa or wherever else...

[@nonnayobuissness5682]

hey my names joe, my job is to empty stripper clips all day.

[@davidcox3076]

That would have been a separate infantry MOS: Huot ammunition loader. Can't see that one being too popular.

[@animatorbug]

Hunt: Showdown Players: *Loud, nervous breathing*

[@Blastmaster1972]

This is what you get when a Lewis LMG and a Ross rifle love each other very much... ;)

[@Arcwelder12]

Love the video. The Huot is one of those interesting automatic conversions from the world war era that didn't go anywhere but are interesting "What if...?" fodder. And its Canadian so I love it. A note though, Huot was Canadian. World War 2 started in 1939 for us. Not 1942.

[@adamskinner5868]

Another great vid, interesting, informative and comprehensive, thanks as always, so pleased that both Gov and private museums etc are willing to give you access and help you show us these rare weapons and tell us the who, how, why n where of them. Sitting here in New Zealand and remembering being excited as a kid when NZ got it's 2nd tv channel, I'm just very appreciative of the internet and what it gives me access to. P.s when NZ only had 1 tv channel there were no adverts allowed to be shown on a Sunday, it was kinda nice. Now I don't watch TV at all because I hate the adverts and there's more than enough great content online to fill the times I want to watch something.

[@plolsteg7705]

We all knew Ian would get his hands on This sooner or later

[@DrBunnyMedicinal]

Huh. That airflow jacket system is really very clever. I wonder if anyone ever tried it again?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

the Russians use it on the Pecheneg today.

[@secretbaguette]

@@ForgottenWeapons Rhetorical question.

[@TheCopyNinja733]

@@secretbaguette Did the guy who made the original comment tell you that?

[@secretbaguette]

@@TheCopyNinja733 Does he need to? No.

[@TheCopyNinja733]

@@secretbaguette well then enlighten me on how the fuck you know it was rhetorical.

[@famtomerc]

Next month: Ian finally gets his hands on a hellriegel

[@Aodhan_Raith]

Love the concept of the gun, hate the fuckers who use it in BF1.

[@jblazerndrowzy]

kupis1408 I bet you have a Hellriegel body-pillow

[@samuelbishop3316]

Automatico all the way I've just invited vitriol haven't I?

[@OsomoMojoFreak]

@@samuelbishop3316 Yeah.. the automatico is just better than the hellriegel on PC at least, hipfiring with the thing is just silly good on PC. TTK on it is just stupid short.

[@gingerbrettman5665]

From my experience, the hellriegel (while still being pretty good) got kicked to the curb long ago by the SMG-08/18. The meta go-to is the SMG 08/18.

[@TheOfficialDaBoogaloo]

I live in Ottawa and had no idea you were here... Now I'm genuinely sad.

[@charlesadams1721]

Seeing the allies used such wonderful automatic rifles such as the CRSG Chauchat M1915, and the RSC M1917 and 1918 with all their faults, this was pretty good. The rifle actually shows some technical promise. Considering the other 'automatic rifles' the allies fielded, this seems very robust. Seeing the size of the gas tube/op rod assembly and how these types of items were typically massively over-sized in this era, and the unnecessary cooling shroud as well as the much too large bolt group, this could have shown promise.

[@dhananjaychafale6545]

Ww1 peoples are different, they don't accept promises.

[@thecloner212]

For whatever reason I read "atomic rifles" and then imagines ww1 trench warfare with no-man's-land craters being caused by atomic rifle fire and not artillery.

[@williestyle35]

What other automatic rifles would you propose the French put in service, during WWI?

[@charlesadams1721]

@@williestyle35: well, the French had several in their development "area" (as the French, did then as now, weapons were a State responsibility). Early on there was Rossignol ENT, and several more. If they wanted to go outside of France to the Brits, the Russians, even the Mexicans (who were more of an ally of the Germans, I guess its that whole Emperor Maximillian thing between the French/Mexicans) There wasn't a shortage of people developing new technologies prior to the war. AS it was the RSC had a reputation for being fragile, temperamental and was prone to parts breakage. Due to the French tendency to ot share between development teams the glaring problem with the different clips between the Bertier and RSC teams was a glaring problem with the 1918

[@williestyle35]

Charles Adams ,okay.

[@alexandruianu8432]

For a gun that looks that awkward, it's surprisingly good.

[@vothbetilia4862]

Well isn't a gun suppose to kill and not show fashion.

[@ls200076]

@@vothbetilia4862 no

[@vothbetilia4862]

@@ls200076 yes

[@toaster9922]

it looks like a star wars prop.

[@SeanJohnson-qm4pu]

Heavy blaster rifle

[@Observer31]

Just change the stock and... yeah

[@randallrasnake1881]

I thought the same thing! i love the steam punk aesthetic of this gun.

[@marcuschauvin7039]

You read my mind!

[@briangourley9572]

Most Star Wars weapons are converted real wwi and WWII weapons with a few modern ones.

[@77gravity]

Seeing those white gloves, I know I cannot expect my favourite phrase on this channel : "Tomorrow we'll be taking this to the range"

[@sevenproxies4255]

When I look at the deisgn of that magazine. I can't help but feel that it should've been easily converted to a belt feed system. It's like halfway there.

[@Dr._Spamy]

Love the idea of the "blast-air-pump" for cooling.

[@verbatim2259]

Totally awesome, going to the Canadian war museum today. I'll see if I can find the Huot on display.

[@Smiffew]

When I was there in January, there were none on display. I didn't even know that any existed or they had two of them.

[@marks_sparks1]

@@Smiffew I concur as I visited Ottawa museum in 2018 and this Huot was definitely not on display. Possibly because it's so rare.

[@w0ffe]

@@marks_sparks1 It has been on display before; I remember seeing it around the spot where the Lewis is.

[@sand0decker]

I've been there before too and did not see it. Maybe we should see about having a special tour to see it

[@RachtaZ]

Hunt: Showdown fans Inc

[@st.salton4024]

Hm hm hm HMMMMMMMM

[@GreenHellTube]

Completely different gun.

[@RachtaZ]

@@GreenHellTube We all know mosin avtomat is not realistic guy, but definitely been inspired by huot ;)

[@efeyigit6766]

Free weekend is coming lads. Cant wait to kill some whiteshirts with this baby.

[@Orbis92]

@@st.salton4024 Ho Hohoho hoooo

[@chesleysamson3899]

Thanks for coming to the Canadian War Museum! It's cool to see a video filmed within 15km of you

[@OlafPawbelt]

i love how crytek took inspiration from this rifle and put it in hunt: showdown, but made it to an automatic mosin instead and had it as a lore that the gun is made as an experiment/ prototype during late 1800s. And before someone says (ThIs rIfLe dId NoT eXiSt bAcK tHeN) i tell you to read once again what i said before you even talk, because i talk about what time era hunt is played in and the weapon in games lore is made for the game itself and not for real life.

[@KurtFitzy]

this thing would make a wonderful star wars blaster rifle

[@JamesKain]

Naa using the base of the MG34 or 42 was the right direction. Maybe something from the old WW2 USSR ballpark. They have some crazy models.

[@jacobmercado3762]

@Jimmie Toyne Exactly, no actual functioning firearm should ever be mutilated in order to excite, and appeal to the soyboy masses who probably don't own firearms and are against ownership of said firearms. I never cared about star wars much, I don't see why any reasonable person would continue enjoying it after the original trilogy.

[@adamgrog9614]

today if you make a machine gun in a shed, you get arrested.

[@LUR1FAX]

What if you're in international waters?

[@detrolfire]

@@LUR1FAX Poseidon won't be happy.

[@fabiovarra3698]

And is a bad thing why?

[@FXIIBeaver]

@@fabiovarra3698 because in America we value freedom.

[@fabiovarra3698]

@@FXIIBeaver and I'm pretty sure that if you follow the right procedure you can still make your own machingun prototype freedom doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want

[@jenkinsonian]

The Second World War didn’t start in 1942 for Canada, it started in 1939.

[@samclarke899]

Yeah because we aren't the selfish Americans and joined pretty much when the rest of the world did

[@Steve-rl2qv]

@@samclarke899 grow up

[@samclarke899]

@@Steve-rl2qv oh?

[@spyderc85]

@@samclarke899 Canada is also part of Great Britain which went to war in 1939. But who needs those little details.

[@Michael-lz2te]

@@spyderc85 that's actually incorrect. Canada wanted to show its independence from Great Britain and returned parliament on September 7, 1939. On September 10th a draft was sent to king George, in which Canada officially declared war on Germany. Although I imagine you're referring to Canada being a part of the Commonwealth, us Canadians sent fourth our own declaration at a later date. With that being said, yes I agree we were much quicker to the punch then our friends to the south. Hollywood will tell you world War 2 started in 1942, solely based on the United States entry. Disappointing really.

[@johnmcclain3887]

Thanks, Ian, I've studied the Lewis gun in depth, family connection, to McLean, and never saw this before, just heard of it, and have to agree on the clearing and lock work comparison. I've long looked at the Ross, as a possible, didn't know it was done. I'm a retired Marine, been gunsmithing fifty years, and done proto-type work myself, and have some experience with "government finance", what was done with Huot is pretty typical with said system, he actually got better compensation than many. Thanks for a very thorough and interesting dissection. Semper Fi, John McClain, Vanceboro, NC

[@Lode422]

Yay! Ian came to visit Ottawa!

[@MisterW0lfe]

so THIS is the rifle they based that OP Avtumat off of in Hunt: Showdown

[@silasjahn7176]

Finally. I was looking for this comment

[@Yugetubes]

Government: Why is there so little new gun innovation? Also government: You made what in your shed? ::shoots dog::

[@jazzhandsparten]

I’m a simple person, if I see Canadian guns , I press like

[@thelastminuteman7513]

We need more shed built full auto bolt actions.

[@marlonbrando2698]

The words "shed" and "basically functional" make me feel safe firing this

[@subjectstigma2473]

I've been waiting a very long time for this rifle to be covered... a great steampunk-looking assault rifle.

[@bryce4503]

I’m waiting for a video about the Hotchkiss mle 1922/26: such a cool, born obsolete light machine gun.

[@109268]

Man those two things on the wall look like a different kind of "weapon", or is that just me?

[@rmod42]

They are, however, the winding handles for moving display cases.

[@bikecommuter24]

@@rmod42 beat me to it, I used to work at a place that had those a large legal firm, trying to find a certain document sometimes was a lot fun 😆

[@damiankaren]

Not just you.

[@obergruppenfulmer7157]

I’m glad I found this comment, because I was going to type the same thing.

[@alexcawthorne811]

I thought the same haha

[@mikelumbreras4903]

I have never seen anything like this. Just amazing. Thank for the upload.

[@bennichols561]

I have the greatest respect for people who tell you when somebody else who could be seen as competition has a superior product or information.

[@csours]

Say Huot again. Say Huot one more time, I dare you.

[@silasisaspicyboi7458]

Cameron Sours huot HUOT HUOT!

[@dd11111]

DOES IT LOOK LIKE A BREACH!

[@ianfinrir8724]

They speak English in Huot?

[@MsLunadog]

That looks hilariously heavy. Can you imagine carrying that miles on end and fighting?

[@muammarbinsharif6425]

It looks significantly lighter than other machine guns of its era to me tbh, although I dont know their actual weights

[@Schw1cky]

That’s not all. Imagine carrying it by the front of the drum like in battlefield 1.

[@bigdbandit64]

Apparently wasn’t all that much heavier then the original ross

[@augustuslunasol10thapostle]

Looks heavy apparently wasn't that much heavier then the of Ross which is a feat in itself

[@Arthurzeiro]

What's that around the barrel? A maple syrup jacket?

[@matthewsandifer2673]

Poutine dispenser

[@paranoidrodent]

@@matthewsandifer2673 Sadly impossible, for the Huot is older... older than poutine! It would have to stick to split pea soup grenades.

[@matthewsandifer2673]

Nicoise salad shooter?

[@dvor3d616]

@08:50 I really like that READY / SAFE switch.

[@boomboomf2268]

I live in Ottawa and love the war museum, had no clue this existed. Super cool piece of history!!!

[@squidman5041]

This is just so beautifully silly looking. I want one.

[@railbaron1]

Hunt: Showdown has a Mosin Nagant Rifle with the same style of Conversion

[@jbux1983]

See how inventive people are without huge amounts of higher education. So sad we have gone so far away from just being talented. If you dont have a piece of paper some hack teacher gives you the world dont recognize your smarts and talents. Those two guys were exceptional. Love that barrel shroud cooling design!!!!

[@jbux1983]

@Kyle Zobell yeah I dont agree. How do you think you get taught at any school?? A book.not being rude or argumentative. Just some people are naturally gifted at picking things up.but cant get into fields because they dont have that little paper

[@TubeMonkeyGuru]

Welcome to Canada glad you could visit Bud

[@donbw34]

Had one of these in the weapons vault in my old reserve unit back in the 80s. Used to keep cleaned and oiled. Even had a leather case for it.

[@robertsmith4681]

Did they ever figure out what the purpose of the 2nd lever of the other Huot is ?

[@Taolan8472]

My guess is its a bolt hold open safety to prevent the bolt from getting shaken home if you fall with or drop the rifle.

[@ThunderChunky101]

I heard "light" and all in could think is "that must weigh 20 kilos!" 😂

[@gonnegottkehaskamp1667]

Everytime I see "Huot" I just read it in the voice of Stewie from Family Guy XD "Hwhooot??"

[@drvonschwartz]

I hear a Hank Hill "HWAT!".... Damnit Bobby!

[@musek5048]

@@drvonschwartz BWAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!

[@pjdelta4056]

If anyone is in Ottawa check out that museum. You won’t regret it. Also has a great armoured vehicle collection.

[@jesuschrist711]

That explains why it didn't fail mechanically. That ratchet system means it can pretty much fire as fast or slow as it wants. Clever.

[@arthurthedented]

I wonder how many iterations it would have taken to get that to being a good magazine fed semi auto rifle years before the Garand? a bit of streamlining on that outsize dustcover and mechanism.. that pistol grip you mentioned.. and for the price of paying salary to one brilliant gun smith Canada could have led the world.. heck..if they'd gotten it done early enough I wonder if they could have overcome both Britains and Americas 'has to be made here by our guys' prejudice and seen the Huot Mk VI as the primary WW2 battle rifle of the allies...

[@DLBBALL]

I think Canada might've gotten an actual semi-auto rifle for itself during WW2 if there was a proper semi-auto conversion for the Ross. I know there's Mannlicher semi-auto one-off conversions out there, so it shouldn't be impossible. It probably would've been a much more feasible design than that Lee-Enfield semi-auto they tested, since the Turner SMLE was way too complicated of a design. Then again absolutely no Canadian seemingly remembered they had the perfect LMG conversion for the Ross Rifle during WW2, which would've been especially useful right after Dunkirk...

[@Skeletomania]

This looks like something you'd see in star wars

[@PackthatcameBack]

I'm not sure why, but I just really like this gun. There's something about it I just find aesthetically pleasing, somehow.

[@supermick83]

Fantastic information. A fountain of knowledge as always Ian. I really enjoy learning about these oddball guns. Thanks 👍

[@CorenseDG]

One of the best weapons to go Hunt the Demons and Supernatural Creatures of the Bayou !

[@DMSparky]

We still arm a lot of our war canoes with these in Canada 🇨🇦

[@sand0decker]

@@chemusvandergeek1209 Is 5 a lot? In the American Army, no. In the Canadian Army, yes.

[@funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong]

So... war canoe. Is that, like, literally just a canoe you've mounted a gun on, or...?

[@DMSparky]

Funny Valentine Did Nothing Wrong The newer ones have mounts. All canoes pre 1996 utilize weapons fired from the shoulder.

[@silascochran9705]

Fascinating stuff I've been watching your videos for a little while now

[@rocketpowered5920]

Finally! It's such an interesting concept, and I love conversions such as this or the Charlton.

[@colin8696908]

The rejection of this gun cost Canadian lives, and wasted a genius inventor. Just one more reason why Canada needed to separate it's military from England.

[@kidindacardboardmask]

I could definitely see this as a weapon in the Fallout game series!

[@CAL1MBO]

Battlefield 1 squad checking in

[@TeguRiN]

Indeed

[@najerachief]

Support level 10 unlock, Haha.

[@coltonjacobs5383]

GXZaeroX the low damage and not being able to suppress fire for long. It was stable though

[@BubuMarimba]

That's very interesting. Somehow I didn't expect anything else from the brits. They need an adhesive tape for their lower lip line now, but back then one could not defeat the pack. I'm glad the guy has got almost even with his expenses, otherwise it would be so unfair...

[@patienthands]

Hey Ian, thanks for covering some Canadian history with this one. Much appreciated, from your neighbours to the North :)

[@taccovert4]

It looks like this was just too late to the party. Had it come out in 1916, we might have been looking at the huot as a major player in the 1917 and 1918 offensives. Probably in a mk2 guise by then.